Glia
03-07-2012, 12:33 AM
Sunday, November 01, 2009 Fluoride: Cavity Fighter or Toxic Intruder?
By Carol S. Kopf
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P07uaGtMQn4/Su4rQF3wvpI/AAAAAAAAB9o/Fqpm_ymZnaA/s320/USDA_Mineral_Flourite_93c3962.jpg (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P07uaGtMQn4/Su4rQF3wvpI/AAAAAAAAB9o/Fqpm_ymZnaA/s1600-h/USDA_Mineral_Flourite_93c3962.jpg)the mineral fluoride
It just became easier to say "No thanks!" to fluoride supplements. Fluoride drops, tablets, and vitamins are more likely to damage children's teeth than to prevent cavities, according to mainstream dental groups such as the Canadian Dental Association and the Western Australia Health Department's Dental Service. Both organizations have stopped recommending regular fluoride supplementation.
Routinely prescribed to US children who don't drink fluoridated water (starting with toothless six month olds), fluoride supplements were never tested for safety and efficacy by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).1 These supplements are one category of many different medications the FDA officially "grandfathered" in, meaning they were sold before drug testing was required by law.
Current research shows that many of the old fluoride studies were flawed. Fluoride's benefits are merely topical, not systemic, as was once thought. Moreover, ingested fluoride can result in unwanted side effects, including dental fluorosis-spotted, stained, or pitted teeth.
Brian A. Burt of the University of Michigan School of Public Health states that, "Fluoride supplements should no longer be used for young children in North America...the risks of using supplements in infants and young children outweigh the benefits."2
Euan Swan, author of the Canadian Dental Association's (CDA) new fluoride supplement guidelines,3 said, "The evidence supporting the effectiveness of dietary fluoride supplements is relatively weak... There's better evidence indicating that they contribute to dental fluorosis."4
The CDA urges that no fluoride supplements be used until the permanent teeth appear at around age six or seven, when the risk of fluorosis is diminished, and then they should be given only to children with a high risk of cavities. How do parents and dentists know who is at risk? The most consistent predictor of cavities in children is past cavity experience, reported a recent National Institutes of Health panel.5
Eating a lot of sugar or drinking sugared sodas increases cavity risk. "And fluoride won't help," Reggie VanderVeen, a Wyoming dentist, stated in an Associated Press story on children's tooth decay. "Sugar will beat fluoride every time," he said.6
read the rest of the article (and view the list of referenced sources) at
https://www.drmomma.org/2009/11/fluoride-cavity-fighter-or-toxic.html
By Carol S. Kopf
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P07uaGtMQn4/Su4rQF3wvpI/AAAAAAAAB9o/Fqpm_ymZnaA/s320/USDA_Mineral_Flourite_93c3962.jpg (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P07uaGtMQn4/Su4rQF3wvpI/AAAAAAAAB9o/Fqpm_ymZnaA/s1600-h/USDA_Mineral_Flourite_93c3962.jpg)the mineral fluoride
It just became easier to say "No thanks!" to fluoride supplements. Fluoride drops, tablets, and vitamins are more likely to damage children's teeth than to prevent cavities, according to mainstream dental groups such as the Canadian Dental Association and the Western Australia Health Department's Dental Service. Both organizations have stopped recommending regular fluoride supplementation.
Routinely prescribed to US children who don't drink fluoridated water (starting with toothless six month olds), fluoride supplements were never tested for safety and efficacy by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).1 These supplements are one category of many different medications the FDA officially "grandfathered" in, meaning they were sold before drug testing was required by law.
Current research shows that many of the old fluoride studies were flawed. Fluoride's benefits are merely topical, not systemic, as was once thought. Moreover, ingested fluoride can result in unwanted side effects, including dental fluorosis-spotted, stained, or pitted teeth.
Brian A. Burt of the University of Michigan School of Public Health states that, "Fluoride supplements should no longer be used for young children in North America...the risks of using supplements in infants and young children outweigh the benefits."2
Euan Swan, author of the Canadian Dental Association's (CDA) new fluoride supplement guidelines,3 said, "The evidence supporting the effectiveness of dietary fluoride supplements is relatively weak... There's better evidence indicating that they contribute to dental fluorosis."4
The CDA urges that no fluoride supplements be used until the permanent teeth appear at around age six or seven, when the risk of fluorosis is diminished, and then they should be given only to children with a high risk of cavities. How do parents and dentists know who is at risk? The most consistent predictor of cavities in children is past cavity experience, reported a recent National Institutes of Health panel.5
Eating a lot of sugar or drinking sugared sodas increases cavity risk. "And fluoride won't help," Reggie VanderVeen, a Wyoming dentist, stated in an Associated Press story on children's tooth decay. "Sugar will beat fluoride every time," he said.6
read the rest of the article (and view the list of referenced sources) at
https://www.drmomma.org/2009/11/fluoride-cavity-fighter-or-toxic.html